1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a doped leucite glass ceramic, to a doped leucite glass ceramic powder suitable for its production, to a method for the production of the doped leucite glass ceramic, to its use as dental material, to a dental product containing it and to the use of nanoscale metal oxide powders for the production of the doped glass ceramic or of the doped leucite glass ceramic powder.
2. Related Technology
Leucite glass ceramics are used particularly in dental technology for the production of dental products such as, for example, dentures, tooth posts or dental root constructions. These dental products are frequently made by means of pressing techniques. Here, a (leucite) glass ceramic powder is first melted in a furnace and then shaped under pressure to form cylinders normally weighing two grams. These cylinders are then pressed in a special pressing furnace into a mold made of a wax-like positive model that has been prepared by the dental technician. Thus, through the use of the so-called lost wax technique, an exact copy of the original wax model is made of glass ceramic.
Consequently, a glass ceramic powder that is to be used in this process has to be sufficiently malleable on the one hand and sufficiently viscous on the other hand in order to completely fill the space defined by the wax model. At the same time, it is desirable for the glass ceramics that are employed to have a high bend strength so that the dental products made of them can withstand especially mechanical stress and do not easily break or develop cracks.
Leucite glass ceramics are sufficiently malleable and viscous for processing in a pressing furnace. However, it is desirable to further improve their bend strength and fracture resistance so as to be able to impart dental products with better mechanical properties.